NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

The release of the event has been out since Friday afternoon but only just saw it (hence, why it's inadvisable to release things on Friday afternoons), but the NWHL announced there will be an 11:30 AM Central luncheon centered around an announcement.

In all seriousness, the Whitecaps joining makes a ton of sense. The NWHL ASG was played out there this past January and it makes sense to have an existing club affiliate with the league as opposed to starting a competing club.

The release of the event has been out since Friday afternoon but only just saw it (hence, why it's inadvisable to release things on Friday afternoons), but the NWHL announced there will be an 11:30 AM Central luncheon centered around an announcement.

In all seriousness, the Whitecaps joining makes a ton of sense. The NWHL ASG was played out there this past January and it makes sense to have an existing club affiliate with the league as opposed to starting a competing club.

A better and much more exciting announcement (and the only one that is really going to matter for this league to survive) would be the merger of the NWHL with the CWHL and call the new league the WNHL with the hopes of getting support from the NHL just like the WNBA. Only selfish egos on both sides are preventing the obvious course of action from happening. The CWHL woman is a freaking dinosaur and very self-serving and unfortunately Dani is at risk of being lumped into the same category as her.

Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

If the Whitecaps are joining the NWHL (and it's pretty obvious that's what the announcement is going to be), travel budgets are going to get interesting, as they will have to fly to all their away games in the northeast. They will get a lot more games on their schedule, and better quality games, too, so that's a plus for them. I read somewhere that the expansion fee for the NWHL is $500,000...I wonder where that's coming from. I bet it isn't Terry Pegula

If the Whitecaps are joining the NWHL (and it's pretty obvious that's what the announcement is going to be), travel budgets are going to get interesting, as they will have to fly to all their away games in the northeast. They will get a lot more games on their schedule, and better quality games, too, so that's a plus for them. I read somewhere that the expansion fee for the NWHL is $500,000...I wonder where that's coming from. I bet it isn't Terry Pegula

Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

Originally Posted by shelfit

I don't get it. Did I miss something somewhere?

The reference to Pegula was just a joke, seeing as he likes to own professional sports teams that include the NWHL Buffalo Beauts (and an NFL team, and an NHL team, and others). I'm surprised he hasn't bought the rest of the NWHL yet, and built them all new arenas (more joking).

The reference to Pegula was just a joke, seeing as he likes to own professional sports teams that include the NWHL Buffalo Beauts (and an NFL team, and an NHL team, and others). I'm surprised he hasn't bought the rest of the NWHL yet, and built them all new arenas (more joking).

What if TP does do that and relocates the franchises to Michigan in towns such a East Lansing, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Big Rapids, and the Soo?

Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

Originally Posted by shelfit

A better and much more exciting announcement (and the only one that is really going to matter for this league to survive) would be the merger of the NWHL with the CWHL and call the new league the WNHL with the hopes of getting support from the NHL just like the WNBA. Only selfish egos on both sides are preventing the obvious course of action from happening.

I wholeheartedly agree with you that #OneLeague is the way forward. It would work great for the existing clubs, plus Bettman has implied that he's hoping to have the CWHL-NWHL issue resolve itself before the NHL gets involved with women's hockey the way the NBA went in for the WNBA.

They need to merge and fill out some more markets. Pittsburgh, DC, Chicago and Detroit come to mind.

The release of the event has been out since Friday afternoon but only just saw it (hence, why it's inadvisable to release things on Friday afternoons), but the NWHL announced there will be an 11:30 AM Central luncheon centered around an announcement.

In all seriousness, the Whitecaps joining makes a ton of sense. The NWHL ASG was played out there this past January and it makes sense to have an existing club affiliate with the league as opposed to starting a competing club.

From a travel budget point of view it would seem to make more sense to grow the league geographically from east to west by having teams in cities like Detroit, Chicago, Madison or Green Bay, and then the Twin Cities. Obviously the Whitecaps are a pre-existing Club so that makes it easier since they're not starting from scratch.

I agree and I said the same thing before a couple of different times. It's a given that the NWHL and CWHL have to merge at some point sooner than later and get subsidized by the NHL at the same time. I think everybody agrees on that. I'm just adding to that by saying it makes more sense to decrease the travel distances and times by having teams in those other cities.

Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

Originally Posted by ZedLeppelin

If the Whitecaps are joining the NWHL (and it's pretty obvious that's what the announcement is going to be), travel budgets are going to get interesting, as they will have to fly to all their away games in the northeast.

I'd guess that the Whitecaps will fly east and play four games in six days or something like that before returning home. When one of the other teams goes to Minnesota, it will play all of its away games versus the Whitecaps on that trip. The flights can at least be minimized if the league constructs a schedule designed to limit them, just like the NCAA makes that the #1 priority in building its tournament. And much as we all hate the quarters that the NCAA selects, if that is what it takes to keep the sport from going the way of North Dakota, then I guess it is a flaw that we have to tolerate.

"... And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;" -- Rudyard Kipling

Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

Link above states NWHL eventually wants all its teams aligned with NHL teams, and one league. Everything about today is exciting.... jealous of you Minnesotans with all this hockey to watch.

I suspect the China inclusion in CWHL complicates a merger at this time. I forget if there was a time limit on the China inclusion in the CW but if so, a merger might be more likely at the conclusion of that endeavor.